Discover Your Origins With The AncestryDNA Test—It's 20% Off Right Now

The easy test can help fill in the missing parts of your family history.

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Photograph courtesy of ancestry DNA

Your family may have lived in the same place for generations. They also may have migrated from anywhere in the world.

If you want to figure out your family’s mystery—and taking a trip to an old library to comb through documents doesn’t sound like your ideal pastime—look into Ancestry DNA.

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Just so you know: While Women's Health editors independently select all products we feature, product links may be from affiliate partners. That means if you buy something, Women's Health gets a portion of the proceeds.

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Right now, the company is offering a DNA test for $79 that’ll trace your routes to genetic communities around the world. Usually, the AncestryDNA test costs $99, and similar tests can cost more than $1,000.

The test is easy to use. When you receive your kit in the mail, just swab the inside of your cheek for saliva sample and send it back to the company. The Ancestry DNA labs will then analyze your genome and send you comprehensive, easy-to-read results. (One writer mailed her poop to a company that promised to analyze her gut health, and here's what happened.)

You'll learn where your family origins are and where they migrated based on genetic communities in the Ancestry DNA data. It also can connect you with living relatives that share your DNA, and with Ancestry’s database of family trees and historical records, the company can actually help you find people you didn’t know you were related to.

For fitness and nutrition information, look into other DNA tests like Orig3n or 23andMe. I’ve personally tried the Orig3n Fuel test ($149). Though the effectiveness of DNA tests is shaky, I can say the Orig3n test was easy to use and motivated me to change my diet habits. I already knew I had a cholesterol problem because of blood tests and family history, but the DNA test provided the last assurance I needed to take preventative measures.

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